466 
In 1779, he publifhed the firft volume of 
his *¢ Travels in the Alps.” It contains a 
detailed defcription of the environs of Geneva, 
and an account of an excurfion as far as Cha- 
mouni, a village at the foot of Mont-Blanc. 
All naturalifts haye read with pleafure the 
defcription he has given, in this volume,, of 
his Magnetometre. The more he examined 
the mountains, the more he felt the 1mport- 
ance of Mineralogy: to enable him to ftudy 
this branch of fcience with ftill greater advan- 
tage, he learnt the German langnage. The 
new mineralogical knowledge which he ac- 
quired, may be eafily feen by comparing the 
latter volume of his travels with the firlt. 
In the midf of his numerous excurfions in 
the Alps, and even during the time of the 
troubled politics of Geneva, in 1782, he 
found opportunities to make his fine Hygro- 
metrical experiments, the refult of which he 
publifhed in 1783, under the title of ¢* Effays 
on Hygrometry,” This work, the beft that 
evet came from his pen, feated his reputation 
as a Nuturalift,. We are indebted to him for 
the inventionof the Hygrometre. Deluc had 
already invented his whalebone Hygrometre, 
and aconteft arofe between him and Sauffure, 
which degenerated into a very obftinate 
difpute. 
In 1786, Sauffure gave up his profeffor- 
fhip, eae duties of which he had difcharged 
for about 25 years. He refigned in favour of 
his difciple, Pi€tet, who, with great honour 
to himfelf, fulfilled the dificuit tafk of fuc- 
ceeding this great naturalift. 
From Sauffure’s fituation as a profeffor, the 
ftate of public inftruction naturally became an 
object of his attention. He propofed a plan of 
reform in the education of Geneva, the chief 
defign of which was to obtain eeomieeane for 
teaching the natural fciences and mathema- 
tics to the youth of that city at an early age. 
He was even defirous that their phyfical edu- 
cation, if I may ufe that exprefiion, fhould 
not be negleted ; ¥ and therefore propofed the 
eftablifhment of gymnaftic exercifes. This 
plan, as ‘might be expeéted, occafioned much 
difcuMion in a town where every one feels the 
importance of education. It found many fup- 
porters and many oppofers. -— 
The mediocrity of pecuniary refources was, 
however, a eas obfacle to ue innovation 
of importance. Tt was befides fe:red, that in 
changing the forms of in@ruction the fabftance 
might be loft, and that what was known to be’ 
good might be facrificed in purfuit of fome- 
thing Goken The people of Geneva. were 
much attached to their fyftem of education ; 
and for this predileétion they cannot be 
blamed, fince it has not only ditfufed know- 
ledge very generally among them, but has 
produced many di iftinguithed | mathématicians® 
ae naturalits. 
aw Abauz zit, Cramer, Lhuilier, ip Trembly, 

oe 
7 Jalabert, A. Aaerabil ye Bence Lefage, 
ied Senebier, Frevot, P Pislet, Sauffure him- 
felf, a PE = 
Life of Sauffure the Naturalift. 
[July 
But public education did not alone occupy 
the attention of Sauffure. He employed him- 
felf in educating his two fons and his daugh- 
ter, who foon proved themfelves worthy of 
fuch an inftru€tor. His daughter joins to all 
the accomplishments of her fex, an extenfive 
knowledge in natural fcience 3 and his eldeft - 
fon has already diftinguifhed himfelf by his 
chemical and philofophical experiments. 
The fecond volume of the Travels of Sauf- 
{ure was publifhed in 1786: it contains a de~ 
{cription of the Alps which furround Mont 
Blanc. The author exatnines them alternate- 
ly asa mineralogitt, a geologift, and a philo- 
fopher. In this volume he has given fome 
interefting experiments in ele€tricity, and a 
defcription of his eleétrometre, which is the 
moft perfect yet known. We are indebted te 
him for feveral other metrical inftruments, 
fuch as his cyanometre, deftined for meafur~ 
ing the intenfity of the blue colour of the 
iky, which varies according to the elevation 
of the .obferver; his diaphanometre for mea- 
furing the tranfparency of the air; and his 
anemometre, with which, by the means of a 
kind of balance, he weighed the force of the 
wind.” 
Some years after the publication of this vo- 
lume, S:uffure was received as a foreign af- 
fociate in the academy of fciences at Paris ; 
- but our author not only honoured his country, 
he loved to ferve it. He was the founder of 
the fociety of arts, to which Geneva is in- 
debted for that high degree of profperity her 
manufactures have reached within thefe jo 
years. He prefided over this fociety until his 
death, and one of his laft wifhes was for the 
prefervation of this eftablifhment. 
Fie alfo teftified his zeal for his country in 
the cauncil of two hundred,’ of which he be- 
came a member after the diffolution of the 
national Affembly. After having undergone 
much fatigue in this affembly, his health be~ 
gan to be deranged, and in 1794, a paralytic 
ftroke deprived him of the ufe of almoft the 
whole of one fide of his body;  diftreffing, 
however, as his fituation then was, his mind 
loft nothing of its activity, and fince that ace 
cident he prepared for the prefs the two lat 
volumes of his travels, which appeared in 
1746. . They contain an account of his excur- 
fions in the mountains of Piedmont, Switzer- 
land, and, in particular, his afcenfion to the 
fornia Mas Blanc. Thefe two lat vo- 
lumes, far from exhibiting any fymptom of 
his aie wee haying * fuftered from his 
diforder, prefent an enormous mafs of new 
fa€ts and important philofophical obfervations. 
He performed a laft fervice to fcience by 
publishing the Agenda, which terminates his 
fourth volume. In that work this great maa, 
furviving himfelf, conduéts the young natu~ 
ralift by the hand through mountains, and 
teaches him how to obferve them with ad- 
vantage. This Agenda isa proof of the ge- 
hius of our author, and of the mental vigour 
which he preferved during the decline of his 
health, using his ficknefs, he alfo publifhed, 
66 Obfervationg 
